The Cagayan Valley Region Librarians Council (CaVRLC) is a regional council of the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) composed of librarians and information professionals in Region II. Membership is open to all licensed/registered librarians from Region 02, which covers the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

This year, the theme of National Book Week Celebration in the Philippines is "Ang Batang Palabasa Nagiging Dalubhasa sa Kultura." (Source: http://plaistrlc.blogspot.com/2008/07/2008-national-book-week-theme.html)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Electronic Information Solutions, Inc. will hold its 4th Comprehensive Training Course for users of Follett Circulation/Cataloging in the Philippines with this year’s theme “Sustaining the Needs of Filipino Librarians for Proper Library Management with the use of Follett CirCat system”. Cebu Doctors University (CDU) is host to this event. The training will be held at College Internet Room, CDU, Mandaue City, Cebu on August 19 to 22, 2008.

The training will include in-depth lectures and workshops with the following objectives:1) To enable the participants to have a full knowledge on the entire functionality of Follett CirCat system and maximize the use of the whole system in different ways.

2) To train all the Follett CirCat users with the use of information technology for proper library management in order to assess their needs and interest.

3) To encourage the participants on the new features of Follett CirCat system keeping abreast with the advancing technology for libraries.4) To interact, understand, and foster camaraderie among Filipino librarians especially among Follett CirCat users.

The training will deal with Follett software feature updates up to version 6.4, software setup and operations including MARC 21, Reports and Statistics, Cataloging Power, Circulation, Data Conversion, System Administration, and topics on Integrating OPAC with e-journals. Our Trainer is an experienced Follett user from one of our pioneer Follett installations in the country assisted by EISI software specialist.

The first comprehensive course was held at De la Salle - College of St. Benilde in Manila in 1999 with Mr. Larry Gilbert of Follett as main trainer. The second edition was held at De la Salle - Zobel in Alabang, Muntinlupa last 2001 with Ms. Sarah Escandor as main trainer. The third edition was held at Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro last 2005. This forthcoming training will help users from our Follett installations nationwide on how to maximize the benefits of the software to their library. Librarians and MIS personnel from Follett sites throughout the Philippines are expected to attend the course.

Infolib is a free integrated library system with a growing user community. It is designed to provide library and information management solutions for small libraries and other non-profit entities with ten thousand or less records. Equipped with its basic modules:

It provides much of the functionality of traditional online catalogs. Each module can be added or deleted and is relatively easy to configure and use even with little or no training. The modules will function efficiently and will work in an integrated fashion since encoding of record is done only once and all modules have access to the same database.

May I invite you to visit/bookmark http://www.herdin.ph/ a specialized network of documentation and information centers engaged in health research and development activities. Herdin hosts electronic collection or database of bibliographic entriesof published and unpublished health researches in the Philippines in cooperation with other member-institutions. You are also encouraged to add to our database through the NeON (Network of Networks) program. Please read our FAQ page at http://www.herdin.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=2&id=2&Itemid= 25

Please contact our office for information/ seminar/ trainings regarding using the NeON program from your respective offices at (02) 837-7534.

The forum aims to provide librarians, teacher-librarians, students and other information managers a much clearer understanding of the roles of libraries and librarians in the current learning and research environment.

There will be a registration fee of P200.00 for librarians, teacher-librarians, and other information managers and P100.00 for students to cover certificates and snacks.

For inquiries, please contact the undersigned or any of the Officers/Directors of the association.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Due to the impact of accreditation and other factors, the organization of collection in the stack room are also affected and challenged. Accreditors or Members of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Technical Panel would like to check the latest acquisitions in the library particularly those that are filed in the shelves. Furthermore, administrators, faculty and students are also looking for new materials in the shelves. To easily locate these materials, the library may adapt "Relegation of Information Sources."

What is "relegation of information sources"? It is the grouping of information sources according to date of publication. In Saint Mary's University, the books are grouped into:

The advantages of relegation:1) Library users can easily locate new materials; 2) Obsolete books are separated for weeding purposes

The problems of relegation:1) Some users are confused in the arrangement of collection.2) Sometimes, materials are mixed with the old and new.

Solution:1) Circulate a memo explaining the new arrangement of books in the shelves.2) Reading of the shelves must be done regularly. 3) Provide signages in a conspicuous places.4) Explain relegation of information sources during library orientation.5) Conduct research on this aspect of the library.

Our theme for this year is "EMERGING LANDSCAPE, MINDSCAPE AND NETSCAPE OF THE PhILIPPINE BOOKS, INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR QUALITY SERVICES" with the objective of providing an annual venue where professors, information managers and specialists, government planners, private sector advocates, and industry players exchange professional agenda to improve the educational and academic landscape in Davao, the Mindanao region and the Philippines in general towards transforming higher education institutions with a cutting-edge in this globally competitive knowledge society.

The Conference and Fair also affords faculty members and other professionals the live selection of content and information technology applications and system ever held in Mindanao and outside of the national capital.

Reservation with partial payments of One Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (Php 1,500.00) on or before July 31, 2008 entails a ten-percent discount. Please make a check payable to Philippine Normal University-Library and Information Science Alumni Assoc. (PNU-LISAA), Inc., or pay in advance to any officer of the Association.

We would like to inform you that the latest MAHLAP Newsletter is already posted in our MAHLAP WEBSITE!. Please find time to read it. Your feedback – both negative and positive – will enable us to improve our works.

Please click the following link to read the newsletter - www.mahlap.org

* The image of librarians as perceived by outsiders and how to veer away from the typical image* The connection of publicity to the promotion of the image of librarians* PR campaign for libraries: how to make them more appealing to the public* How to relate to the external environment

Day 2: August 22, 2008

THE VALUE-ADDED EDGE OF LIBRARIESBy Patricia May B. Jurilla, Ph.D.Professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature, U.P. Diliman Book Historian

* Libraries and their role in culture, nation, and institutions* Library and power* Universal tradition of libraries* Stories of great libraries* Future scenarios and trends

* Regulation of Continuing Professional Education (CPE)* Regulation on the implementation of the BLIS program and faculty* Compliance of professional librarians and institutions offering library science courses to the Revised Librarianship Act (R.A. 9246)* Standards of libraries as mandated by R.A. 9246* Other concerns participants would like to address

HOW THE GOVERNMENT MOBILIZES LIBRARY COMMUNITIES IN PROMOTING READINGBy Atty. Andrea Pasion-FloresExecutive Director, National Book Development Board

* The connection of libraries and librarians in the publishing industry* How the publishing industry can help the library system* Determining the “niche of the library”* How to make the library more interesting and hip* How librarians can pro-actively participate in the advocacy of promoting reading

The quality of elementary and secondary education is greatly enhanced by a functional school library service. School library has been recognized as one of the vital parts of a school system. It is one place where children form basic concepts about the world, where dreams, aspirations, and values are born and developed.

While it is true that the trend this century is information and communications technology, Philippine school libraries are still left behind and continue to struggle. Vernon Totanes (2006) in his conference paper entitled, Money and Leadership : A Study of Theses on Public School Libraries Submitted to the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Library and Information Science, states that "The biggest challenge facing public school librarians in the Philippines today is the thought that there is no money to pay for the improvements that need to be made." He further explained that: "After all of these years, it is time perhaps to accept that the government does not consider public school libraries a priority in the allocation of scarce resources."

I firmly believe that "Library is one of the indicators of a progressive educational institution in a country." In the case of higher education institution such as De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Ateneo de Manila University, Centro Escolar University, and many more has a high concern or value on library because it is one of the contributing factors in producing a competent graduate.

In the study of Concordia Sanchez in 1940, “A Survey of Philippine Public Elementary School Libraries,” revealed that: School library conditions are not conducive to effective library service as required by modern education; Books are merely accessioned, but neither classified nor cataloged; The housing conditions provided for the library, if any, are poor, and the furniture and equipment are inadequate; The library is not open long enough for students to use it to the fullest extent; Some schools do not even open their libraries at all… Library instruction is given but it is inadequate, disorganized, and has no definite place in the curriculum; and The librarians have not had any training in library work. For more than six (6) decades, this study has not changed at all. In general, the worse scenario is "There is no school librarian not even a teacher-librarian in elementary public schools." For those with what they call a library, it has a low level of compliance to DepEd library standards.

I am glad that there is such a thing as "Search for the Most Functional Library." I hope that this program of the Department of Education will continue to show that they have also concern in public school libraries. But the most important thing that DepEd must consider is the creation an item for school librarian or teacher-librarian in public schools in the country.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

This paper was delivered during the "Seminar-Book Fair on Strengthening the Mathematical Equation of Collection Development" on June 26-28, 2008 at Baguio-Benguet Community Credit Cooperative, Assumption Road, Baguio City, Philippines.

Let me start my talk with quotations. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma has rightly stated: "A library is a more important than a university because a library can function without a university, whereas a university cannot do without a library." This statement truly suggests the importance of a library in any educational institutions especially in higher education in the Philippines. The Commission on Higher Education will never approve new course offerings without a good library collection.

Moreover, according to Alan Carter: "The library is the heart of the university." Thus, in order to have quality library relevant to our users, we must build our collection according to their needs.

How to build your collection?1. Know your Problem.2. Know your Objectives.3. Know the Standards in library collection.4. Know the Issues and concerns.5. Know the Time-frame.6. Know the Internal funds.7. Know the Vision-Mission of the school and the library.8. Know how to Evaluate the collection.In short, be POSITIVE in building your collection in order to meet the demands of your present and prospective users.

1. Know your problem.This is the first activity in collection building. Pinpoint your problem because this will guide you to what to solve. Are you building your collection for the sake of CHED/DepEd requirements? accreditation? or for the immediate needs of your library users? If you are trying to meet the CHED minimum requirements for library collection, definitely you are on the process of offering new courses in your school to be able to get Certificate of Recognition. If you want to pass the accreditation, precisely you are working for a higher objective and that is to upgrade the level of your school.

2. Know your objectives.Objectives are very important in any human endeavor. This will guide us to what to achieve. There is a need for us librarians to revisit the objectives of your library if it is based on the objective/s of your parent institution. In most cases, the library supports the courses offered by the school by providing relevant, recent and quality books and other information sources.

3. Know the standards in library collection.There is a need to know the standards in collection development. The following are the CHED collection standards:* In general, 3 to 5 titles of books per subject published within the last five years* For Engineering Education programs, at least 2 titles of books per subject published for the last ten years.* 5% of the total collection must be Filipiniana books* 10 of the total collection must be published within the last five years* There must be 3 titles of journals per curricular area for the undergraduate courses* At least 5-10 titles of journals per curricular area for the masteral and doctoral programs

4. Know the issues and concerns.Resolve the issues in collection building as to the following:* Is there an existing acquisition procedures?* Who will buy?* Whom/Where to buy?* What is the standard discount?* How much is the budget for books? periodicals? non-print materials?* Do you have existing selection policies?* Do you implement your collection development plan?

5. Know the time-frame of collection building!Most often, administrators and librarians buy needed books when accreditation is fast approaching or when they know that CHED Technical Panel will visit their school. Librarians must buy book regularly, i.e., monthly, bimonthly or quarterly but not as the need arises. In general, buy books published within the last five years.

6. Know the internal funds.Do you know your library budget per year? Most standards stated that: "All library fees must be spent/used solely for books and periodicals." Other expenses must come from the overall institutional budget.

Based from the library fee, you must develop your own formula in budgeting as to how much per college or school department, curricular program, etc. And there is also a need to consider the following: 1) number of enrollees/faculty; 2) attendance of students/faculty; 3) usage of books; 4) status of the department/ program, i.e., COE/COD, accredited, etc.

7. Know the vision-mission of the school and the library.The Vision, Mission, Goals, and Objectives (VMGOs) has a very important role in any institution. It is the guiding principle to what we would like to achieve or become in the future therefore libraries must create their unique VMGOs based on the parent institution.

8. Know how to evaluate the collection.The most relevant collection evaluation technique is the combination of subject bibliography making, shelf scanning and application of (CHED/DepEd) standards. The following are some suggested steps in collection evaluation:1. List down the subjects per curricular area2. Identify relevant books per subject per curricular area (subject bibliography)3. Check if books are on shelves (shelf scanning)4. Have it counter-check by subject experts, i.e., Faculty, Dept. Heads and the Dean. 5. Apply the CHED standards

The results or findings will be the basis for crafting, developing or revising your collection development plan.

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Notice to our readers:

This blog is a creative, initiative and collaborative efforts of registered librarians in Region 02 as part of exercising their professional competencies as an individual or group. It aims to promote advancement of the association and the profession and to uplift the morale of library workers. All posted in this blog does not necessarily reflect the official stand of the PLAI-CaVRLC officers & members in general. PLAI-CaVRLC is not responsible for any damages, direct/indirect, arising from or related to viewing the postings.

OBITUARY

Our Beloved Fellow Librarians

Dr. Juan L. Padua, Jr.(Sept. 3, 1962 - March 25, 2008)Peacefully joined our creator on March 25, 2008 at the age of 45. He was a library science instructor and librarian at Saint Mary's University, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.Mrs. Rizalina Pedroso(Dec. 13, 1953 - Oct. 20, 2007)Now peacefully rests in the infinite Grace and Goodness of the Lord on Oct. 20, 2007 at the age of 53. She was the Director of Libraries of University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.